Spring Clean Out Your Fridge…And Use Those Odds and Ends

As the weather gets warmer and warmer, the urge to engage in some spring cleaning may strike as well. 

When cleaning out the kitchen, there will inevitably be food items that have long since been forgotten about – which presents an opportunity to get creative. In the United States alone, more than 92 billion tons of food go to waste annually. Although the food industry is responsible for roughly half of this waste, the rest comes from consumers. Historically, heritage diets made use of every part of an available food item, a practice that is still important today and friendly to both the environment – especially with Earth Day coming up on April 22 – and your wallet.

Whether it’s an old lime or leftover herbs, here are ten ways to make full use of the various odds and ends you find in your fridge, instead of throwing them away:

1. Shred Carrots: Although rubbery carrots may not be the ideal snack on their own, they are still perfectly good to use! As long as they are not yet slimy, try grating old carrots and mixing them into anything – sweet or savory, from “carrot cake” overnight oats (with some cinnamon, a splash of vanilla, and yogurt), to a stir fry.
2. Make Broth: Vegetable scraps still have so much flavor to take advantage of, and a great way to do so is by boiling them in water along with your preferred seasonings to make a broth. This can serve as a base for soups and chilis.
3. Enhance Dishes with Fruit: Cook down old apples with cinnamon and vanilla to make a sweet topping for breakfast porridges, or grill up an overripe pineapple for a delicious dessert. Fruit always makes for the best sweetener!
4. Add Crunch…: Transform stale bread into croutons for soups and salads by tossing cubes in olive oil and baking them for a few minutes.
5. …And Flavor: Heat olive oil with garlic, herbs, or other flavors of your choice to create infused olive oil.
6. Create Condiments and Dips: Half-used greens have a tendency to end up in the back of the fridge – but they are wonderfully versatile, especially in condiments like chimichurri or pesto. From beet greens to excess kale, take old or dry greens and throw them into a food processor along with olive oil, garlic or any of your favorite flavors.
7. Save Overripe Berries: As long as your berries are not yet moldy, they are perfect blended into a compote or drink. You can also freeze fruit that’s on its way out (including brown bananas!) for use in smoothie bowls and as a topping for yogurt.
8. Get Cheesy: Don’t throw away your cheese rinds. Add those Parmigiano Reggiano end pieces to soups or sauces to incorporate that delicious, savory richness.
9. Revive Your Citrus: Make a flavored salt with old limes or lemons. Bake the zest of the washed fruit in the oven before mixing it with salt or even pepper!
10. Salvage Veggies: Chop and freeze any vegetables that are nearing the end of their shelf life, so that they can be added into scrambled eggs, frittatas, or even these delicious breakfast muffins at a later date.

Just about every food in your fridge, as long as it has not yet gone truly bad, can be used in creative ways that go beyond these ten tips, and the more often you practice using every part of abandoned ingredients, the easier it will get to prevent food waste. 

If you’re looking for more ideas on what to do with a spare vegetable languishing in your produce drawer, our 12 Ways to Use Vegetables book offers solutions for 26 different vegetables, from artichokes to zucchini, and everything in between. Tag us on Instagram (@oldways_pt) to show off your creative methods of spring cleaning out your fridge and using up those odds and ends.